Danganronpa: The Game Begins (SYOC CLOSED)
by OnlyTruePotterhead
Summary: 16 talented high school students are pulled into yet another killing game. Each armed with two talents apiece, will they be able to join together to win the game, or will Kurokuma drag them all into the depths of despair? (The SYOC for this fanfic is CLOSED!)
1. Finalized Character List

**CHARACTER SUBMISSIONS CLOSED**

Thank you to everyone who submitted a character! They were all very well written, and as such my decision was incredibly difficult. However, I have made my decision regarding who the new classmate is!

The latest edition to our class of murder is...

Atsuko Komatsu, the SHSL Illustrator, and brought to us by Prince PokePersona!

As such, the final class roster is as follows:

Male-

1) Hiroshi Hisakawa- SHSL Amnesiac (Richard Conway)

2) Kazuki Nobokatsu- SHSL Figurehead (emberblitz321)

3) Akio Sato- SHSL Journalist (Richard Conway)

4) Jun Akashi- SHSL Traceur (Trust Me I'm Me)

5) Yannick Voclaine- SHSL Savateur (runicwolf)

6) Takehiko Hoshino- SHSL Astronomer (Author-Hime)

7) Luke Winters- SHSL Mental Patient (GunMaker 436)

8) Atsuko Komatsu- SHSL Illustrator (liammarklh88)

Female-

1) Sorano Hotaru - SHSL Psychologist (me, OnlyTruePotterhead)

2) Emi Ikeda- SHSL Reality TV Show Star (Sightreader)

3) Asahi Ikehara- SHSL Shogi Player (ToastedStrudel)

4) Saiko Hamura- SHSL Puppeteer (me, OnlyTruePotterhead)

5) Meiko Ueda- SHSL Hacker (Author-Hime)

6) Hibiki Iseri- SHSL Equestrian (Sightreader)

7) Noriko Tachibana- SHSL Prosecutor (Abitat Eco)

8) Priscilla de la Croix- SHSL Wedding Planner (Trust Me I'm Me)

Thank you so, so much for keeping up with this story, and I truly hope you continue reading! Now that this little obstacle is out of the way I should be able to upload chapters relatively regularly!

I hope you enjoyed, and as always...

Have a wonderful rest of your morning/afternoon/evening!


	2. Prologue 0-1

**Prologue: 0-1**

Quick Key: _thoughts,_ **emphatic,** "normal dialogue", narrative.

The day it all began was a surprisingly normal one. Kazuki was awoken by his alarm- set promptly to 7:30 am- and quickly dressed in his typical midnight blue tuxedo. Stealing a quick glance at himself in the mirror before he left the room, he took in his normal appearance- 5'8" height, 120 pounds of weight, midnight blue eyes, pure black hair streaked with gray swept hastily to the right, unearthly pale skin, and scar-ridden body.

Leaving the room, he pulled out the invitation once again. It had arrived in the mail a week prior and, having had no other urgent plans for the week, he decided to accept.

"Congratulations Kazuki Nobukatsu, the SHSL Figurehead! You have been invited to the grand opening of KK's Amusement Park! As a way to promote the park, we randomly selected sixteen talented students from across the globe to experience a week-long all-expense paid trip to KK's! This is going to be the experience of a lifetime, so you shouldn't miss out! There is housing on-site, and we will have preparations made for you once you arrive, so there is no need to bring anything except for yourself! And please keep in mind that, since we have not opened yet, all electronics are banned from the park. Are you ready to experience a thrill like never before?"

* * *

 **Kazuki Nobukatsu**

 **SHSL Figurehead**

* * *

The clear footsteps of his black loafers echoed through his house. _The one perk of acting like the boss is getting to live in the boss' house_. Kazuki thought, snarkily. As the figurehead walked through the maze of hallways, his front door came into view. _The chauffeur should be just outside, and the decoy limousine will leave about a minute after I do._ Everything was meticulously planned out. Nothing should have gone wrong. No, nothing **could** have gone wrong.

However, as he reached his front door, Kazuki's vision began to swim. The solid mahogany doors seemed to blend together, and darkness crept into the figurehead's vision.

 _After all this time, those bastards finally got to me._ He thought, laughing at the irony. Before Kazuki could properly call for help, darkness completely flooded his senses, and he was dead to the world.

* * *

Before he opened my eyes, Kazuki knew that he wasn't where he was supposed to be. It felt as though the figurehead was on a mattress of sorts, when he distinctly remember collapsing in front of my door. Blearily prying his eyes open, Kazuki started to take in his surroundings.

"W-what the hell?" He whispered, taken aback by what laid before him.

He appeared to be in a bedroom of sorts with deep brown walls, a dresser, a desk, and a closet. And was that a camera? Yes, a camera hanging from the ceiling was pointing directly at the figurehead. _What kind of sicko would kidnap me just to give me such cushy living conditions? I don't know much about interrogation tactics, but this doesn't seem like the right way to do it. Not that they would get any information from me anyways…_

Pulling back the covers, he noticed that he was still in my regular clothing, which also struck Kazuki as strange. Once he gained balance on his unsteady legs, Kazuki walked over to the closet to find it filled solely with copies of the outfit he was already wearing. _This is getting very weird…_ hethought, slowly getting more anxious. _Just what kind of guy am I dealing with?_

The figurehead then turned to the dresser and saw a piece of paper lying on it. The writing appeared to be done in red crayon, and was complete with a terrible drawing of a… bear? The message read: "Dearest Kazuki-kun. Please report to the ferris wheel by 11:45 am or face immediate punishment! Don't be laaaaaate~ 3"

"Ferris wheel? What the fuck?" He muttered, confused. Whoever brought him here apparently wanted the figurehead to leave the room, so he slowly made his way over to the door. Opening it cautiously, Kazuki stepped outside to await his fate…

* * *

 **END OF PROLOGUE 0-1**

 **8/16 Characters Submitted**

 **Awaiting 4 females and 4 males...**

 **Prologue 0-2 Loading… Loading… Loading…**


	3. Prologue 0-2

**Prologue 0-2: Introductions Part One**

* * *

 **A/N: Hey everyone! I am SO sorry that this took so long to post. I started junior year a few weeks ago and it's been... difficult. I'll try my best to post once a month, although that may change depending on my schedule. Thanks again to everyone who submitted!**

* * *

"Gaaah!"

Of all of the possible ways the situation could have gone, Kazuki was not expecting a person to nearly punch him in the face. Right as it was about to hit, however, the person tripped and fell into the figurehead. Stumbling under the unexpected body weight of the newcomer, he hesitantly helped them back to their feet.

"I-I'm so sorry (~o~)! I didn't mean to do that! I was just about to knock when the door opened…" the girl explained, embarrassed.

After the initial shock faded, he regained his bearing and then his manners. "No, no. That's fine I suppose. No need to worry." After all, there's no need to make enemies for no reason. "Do you happen to know what is going on? I woke up with no memory of coming here, and I am quite concerned."

A shocked look passed over her face when Kazuki said that. "No waaay! You too? I'm so glad I'm not the only one! ( ﾟヮﾟ) I haven't seen anyone else yet and I was sooooo worried that I would be the only one who forgot how they got here!"

Out of nowhere, she suddenly started hugging the figurehead. "Thank you soooo much for making Emi feel safer!"

Concern and relief flooded through Kazuki at once. Knowing that he was not alone in his experience meant that the sick bastard who brought them there had something even more sinister in mind than he had thought. Snapping back to his bearings, he decided to introduce himself, seeing as she was currently not a threat.

"N-no problem, I guess. I do admit it is a relief to know that I am not here alone. My name is Kazuki Nobukatsu. I am known as the SHSL Figurehead."

The girl's eyes widened even more, which negated the figurehead's prior thought of plausibility. "Wooow! You have a Super High School Level talent too? My name is Emi Ikeda! I'm the SHSL Reality TV Show Star ( u )! Nice to meet 'cha!"

* * *

 **Emi Ikeda**

 **SHSL Reality TV Show Star**

* * *

 _Now that I think about it, her name does sort of sound familiar. Her claim to fame was through the show Outlast, where she easily made friends and completed physical challenges. She became a fan favorite as well due to her easygoing nature and overall kindness._

 _Emi appeared to be a couple of inches shorter than me, but our weights seemed about the same. With her long auburn hair and piercing emerald eyes it was easy see how people could fall for her. Her skin was caramel in color and complemented her slender build and features nicely._

 _She was wearing a pastel orange tank top and a pair of khaki cargo shorts that reached her mid-thigh. On her feet were a pair of used brown sandals, and her entire outfit was overly decorated with flowers. She also appeared to be wearing a necklace made out of seashells, and a matching bracelet on her left wrist._

"Are you okay Kazuki-kun? You've been staring at Emi for a long time." She asked airily. She suddenly gasped. "Ooh! I get it Kazuki-kun! Are you perhaps a fan of Emi's?" Emi clapped her hands together, causing him to jump. "It's so great to meet a fan of Emi's~ ( ﾟヮﾟ)"

Giggling with glee, Emi grabbed Kazuki's hands and dragged him outside of the room he had awoken in. "Come on Kazuki-kun! Let's go see if there are other people here! There should be… there are sixteen huts after all~"

 _Huts?_ He thought, confused. Once Kazuki left the building though it all made sense. He stopped for a moment to completely take in his surroundings.

Kazuki's hut appeared to be the last, or first, in its row. Directly to his right was a gigantic wall stretching upwards with two huge barred doors. From the doors emerged a long paved road that lead to a set of unbarred doors on the other side of the space they were in. There appeared to be eight huts on each side of the road that were staggered to allow little pathways to lead to the main road. The figurehead could see another closed door on the wall across from him and, looking behind himself, he saw another corresponding door. In all of this set-up, however, Kazuki could not see the ferris wheel described by the note.

Once Kazuki's observations were finished, he noticed that Emi was leaving him behind. Seeing as she was the only other person he had seen thus far, the figurehead could not let her get away. "Hey! Ikeda-san! Wait up!"

She turned back to him quickly, the action causing her to trip comically and fall on the grass. Before Kazuki could run over to help her, Emi quickly stood up and brushed herself off. _I wonder if she's used to falling._ He contemplated, curious as to why that would be true for a girl with her talent.

"I-Ikeda-san! Are you alright? Did you hurt yourself at all?" Kazuki called out, concern filling his voice.

Emi only looked at the figurehead with a slightly curious expression. "Of course Kazuki-kun! Emi falls all the time, so she's used to it. (+.+)"

 _Just my luck. The only other person I've come across here happens to be a major klutz. It looks like both of us are useless to help with the situation. I might as well just give u-_

Kazuki's thoughts were interrupted by Emi yet again. "Ooh, Kazuki-kun. By the way. Don't call me boring old Ikeda-san! Call me Emi!"

"E-Emi? Isn't that a bit too informal? Especially considering we just met…" It was bad enough that she was referring to him so casually, but to insist that he refer to her with such intimacy felt… violating to the figurehead.

"Not at all silly!" she chirped, wrapping her arms around Kazuki's left one. It was then that he noticed she had moved. _Creepy… I didn't detect any movement…_ "Oooooh! Kazuki-kun must not know! Emi is from America, so adding those weird formalities are just… weird! So call Emi, well, Emi! (^.^)"

"Uh… okay then Ike-…Emi." That would take some getting used to. Considering he'd been trained in etiquette for most of his life, suddenly dropping the formalities felt like an attack on his entire existence. However, if she wound up being the only other person here, he did need to remain on her good side just to be safe.

Emi clapped her hands together excitedly. "Kazuki-kun! Did you see? Did you see? There are other house thingies! (O.O) We might not be alone!" As she was saying this, Emi dramatically gestured to the other huts as if she hadn't just told the figurehead about them a few minutes ago.

Deciding to play along, if only to placate her, Kazuki responded, "Wow! That is an interesting observation Emi." A sudden idea struck him. _Genius._ He thought, fighting to keep a smirk off of his face. "H-hey Emi?"

Emi turned to Kazuki, staring intently with wide, slightly unfocused eyes. "What is it Kazuki-kun? (0.0)"

 _Perfect. This might actually work out._ "So, Emi. There might be other people here, right?" she nodded, which the figurehead took as a cue to continue. "What if one of us stayed here to watch and see if anyone else comes by? The other one can go out and look for other people. We can report back here in an hour, or meet up at wherever the ferris wheel is by 11:30."

In all honesty, Kazuki didn't think she would agree, but to his utter surprise she simply beamed at him. "That sounds like a great idea Kazuki-kun! You go on ahead, and I'll wait here. I saw some really pretty flowers somewhere that I think would go with my shirt. Have fun~ (✿´ヮ`)"

With those words of dismissal, she started meandering towards a field of wildflowers. _Well, that was easy._ He thought, slightly baffled with her behavior. _Ah well, no need to think too much about it. I have other people to find._

The most logical places to begin were the other cabins and, seeing as Emi was… otherwise occupied, he took matters into his own hands and began the search.

Soft crunching filled the figurehead's ears as he carefully took the gravel path that connected all of the huts. _I wonder why Emi went to my hut first._ Kazuki thought as he approached the door. One quick glance was enough for him to understand. The door he was about to knock on appeared to have a 16-bit version of Emi on a plaque to the left of the door itself. The sprite wore the same clothing as Emi, and the only difference was that this sprite was wearing glasses. _That must be why Emi appears so klutzy._ He realized, the pieces finally clicking together. _Of course it was glasses you idiot. I'm sure anyone else could have figured it out._ Kazuki mentally berated himself, hardly noticing that his hands were clenching into fists.

Taking a few deep breaths, he calmed myself down to focus on the more important matter- finding any other people that were brought to this hellhole. Going as quickly as he dared, Kazuki moved from hut to hut, knocking on each door. The different images flew past him- a nauseatingly bright Hawaiian shirt, piercing silver eyes, pure white hair, someone who had on what looked to be a… navy uniform? The figurehead didn't let those bother him as he continued his search, growing increasingly more frantic with each additional failure.

Kazuki only paused when he reached hut number 13. He never truly considered himself to be a superstitious person, but that number still put him on edge regardless of the situation. Hesitantly, he knocked three times on the door with the full expectation of another failure. To the figurehead's surprise, the door opened after only a few seconds.

The face that appeared shot Kazuki a disinterested glare. "Can I help you?"

Nearly collapsing with relief, he quickly responded. "Oh thank fucking god. You're real. Wait… you are real, right?"

Her scorn was obvious as she replied, "Unless the last seventeen years of my life have been a well-conceived prank, I am indeed real. If you are satisfied, then please state your business. Not like I really need to listen to the likes of you."

Collecting himself, the figurehead gave a slight smile and stated, "It's a relief to see another person here. I am Kazuki Nobukatsu, the SHSL Figurehead. We appear to have been taken hostage and-"

She interrupted him then, sounding exactly like his bastard of a brother. "And now we are stuck in this place for an undetermined period of time with no way out and no knowledge of how we arrived. I figured as much when I awoke in an unfamiliar place, Kazuki-san." The girl paused, as if considering something. "So you are a fellow Ultimate. Hope's Peak has really been lowering their standards. Tch, I suppose it would do no harm to tell you. My name is Asahi Ikehara. I suppose you could refer to me as the SHSL Shogi Player.

* * *

 **Asahi Ikehara**

 **SHSL Shogi Player**

* * *

 _Asahi Ikehara, sometimes referred to as the Queen of Ice. She has competed in shogi competitions all around the world, winning every single one of them. Known for her ruthlessness and lack of sportsmanship, Asahi instills fear into every one of her competitors, sometimes winning the match before it begins._

 _Asahi's physique was nothing to be jealous of. Shorter and heavier than me by a few pounds, the only thing that really stood out about her were her eyes. Catlike and crimson red, they held an eerie similarity in some ways to a demon's. Her straight black hair nearly reached her waist, with square bangs parted to the right._

 _She also wore very stiff and impersonal clothing- white dress shirt, pleated black skirt that hit her knee, black and grey plaid tie, black socks and shoes, and a red headband that perfectly matched her eyes. To break up the monotonous color scheme, she also was carrying a dark brown messenger bag, presumably to hold her shogi board._

His thoughts were again interrupted by her condescending tone. "Are you quite finished? I have better things to do than stand around while a sad excuse of an Ultimate checks me out."

 _Note to self: stop getting so lost in thought._ Since Asahi posed the opportunity, Kazuki decided to at least attempt to get her help. "Actually, there is something you might be able to help me with. I've only come across one other person here so far. Her name is Emi Ikeda: have you heard of her? Regardless, she's a bit… occupied at the moment, but we're looking to see if there are any other people here. Judging be the sixteen huts, it's relatively easy to assume that there are thirteen other students here- apart from us, that is. It would be invaluable if you were to help look for any others that might be here." Suddenly he remembered what the card in his room had read. "Also, we should probably get going anyways. I received a note saying to meet at a ferris wheel for 11:45, and I have yet to see a timepiece."

Asahi scoffed and, despite Kazuki's height advantage over her, he felt looked down upon. "Are you blind? There is a clock above my bed, which must be a common trend. It is 9:48, so you have plenty of time. In regards to your offer, there was really no need to have made it. I would much prefer to stay here than spend another moment with failures. Now, if you'll excuse me."

"But Ikeha-"Before the figurehead could finish, her door was slammed in his face. _Let's hope she's the worst of them._ Kazuki grumbled, walking dejectedly to the next hut. After another two failures went by, he arrived at the final building. _I wonder if everyone else is there._ He thought, before quickly rejecting it. _How on Earth could thirteen people fit into a building that small? Sharpen up Kazuki!_

Grumbling internally, the figurehead rapped on the door in front of him- probably much more than necessary. Just as he was about to curse the heavens for putting him in this situation, the door opened with a crash.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT?" the stranger screamed, the force of it nearly throwing Kazuki backwards.

Immediately cowed, he quickly responded. "I-I apologize. P-please don't mind me. Sorry to disturb you…" Turning to walk away as rapidly as possible, Kazuki was stopped by their response.

"Sorry. Don't worry about it. I was the one overreacting." The student's demeanor entirely changed, their voice so soft the figurehead could barely hear it. He laughed a bit, seemingly embarrassed. "Well… this is a bit of an awkward introduction."

Kazuki chuckled along with him. "That one is on me. I got frustrated and knocked louder than I should have. The name is Kazuki Nobukatsu. I am called the SHSL Figurehead."

Something flashed in the stranger's eyes then that he couldn't quite catch as a smirk made its way onto his face. "A fellow Ultimate, huh? Well, I suppose I should introduce myself as well. My name is E-Luke. Luke Winters. I am the SHSL… Mental Patient."

* * *

 **Luke Winters**

 **SHSL Mental Patient**

* * *

 _I didn't know too much about Luke at all. Aside from an article a couple years ago about a teen stabbing his older brother to death, I can't think of any common knowledge that would apply to the boy in front of me._

 _Luke towered over me by at least half a foot, and outweighed me by at least 30 pounds. Although his name and appearance primarily indicated that he was American, his eyes slanted slightly, giving him the look of someone Asian. His eyes themselves were quite unusual- his left was a blood red, and his right was a deep blue. Luke's hair as well was uniquely silver in hue, with bangs coming to a point in the middle of his forehead. He was wearing a yellow polo shirt, a pair of dark blue jeans, and fingerless gloves. He also had on a dark green leather jacket with a dragon on the back._

"You like what you see?" Luke almost purred as Kazuki came back to the present.

"U-um, well… uh…" He stuttered, already feeling his cheeks getting oddly warm.

Before the figurehead could get out a coherent response, Luke burst out into laughter. "Dude! I'm just messing with you. You seemed a bit spacey, is all. Don't worry about it!"

Kazuki breathed out a sigh of relief. "Y-yeah, sorry. I've been doing that a lot lately. The same thing happened with the other people I met." And just like that their moment of banter was cut short. "L-Luke. There are other people here. At least two that I know of, and there could be as many as sixteen of us."

He looked puzzled then, and asked "Where exactly is 'here'? I woke up when you, erm, knocked. I didn't recognize the surroundings, but at that point I didn't really care." Luke looked completely abashed then, scratching the back of his neck. "I'm not really a morning person."

As the figurehead explained the situation to him, Luke's expression grew steadily grimmer. When Kazuki asked him to join his effort to look for others, he merely shook his head. "I'm not too much of a socializer. It's easier with you for some reason, but I'd rather not risk it."

Although it disheartened the male, he saw the logic in the mental patient's statement. The last thing any of them needed was for the SHSL Mental Patient to have an… episode.

"A-alright then. See you later Luke!" With that, Kazuki turned and exited the hut. He made his way back to huts 8 and 9 to see if there was anything he had missed, slowly panicking all the while.

 _Alright Kazuki. You've knocked on all of the huts, so what now? What if it_ is _just you and the three others? What would happen if we didn't find the Ferris wheel? What do these people want with us?_

The figurehead was nearing the end of the paved road and, without being aware of it, he accidentally walked right into the far gate.

"Fuck!" he cursed, grabbing the top of his head. Kazuki stumbled backwards just in time to see the gate nearly swing into him. "How the hell did that happen?" The physics were all wrong. Shouldn't the door have opened away from him if it opened at all?

"You'd better fucking give that back you egotistic moth-brained piece of human feces!"

"I am only saving ze world from ze disaster that is your jacket! Do you honestly think you'll get a man with fur?"

"And what the hell are you going to do with it, huh? Burn it? I'll sue you for destruction of fucking property!"

"Zhere is no reason to be so upset. I am doing you a favor!"

"Can you both. PLEASE. Shut up!" Kazuki screamed, trying to get a grasp of the situation.

Both of the new figures stopped in their tracks, seemingly noticing the figurehead for the first time. They both appeared to be female, one with an olive coat in her hands. _What's with people and green jackets?_ He wondered, before getting back on topic.

"S-sorry about that. I didn't even know that gate could open, and to be greeted by a bunch of screaming wasn't exactly…" He started, before the one girl interrupted him.

"Ze warmest welcome?"

"Exactly. Anyways, my name is Kazuki Nobukatsu. I am the SHSL Figurehead. Am I correct in assuming you are both Ultimates as well?"

They looked at each other simultaneously before the white-haired one spoke up. "I know I am. I didn't bother asking this she-devil before she stole my fucking jacket. The name's Meiko Ueda, and I'm the SHSL Hacker. Don't fuck with me or I'll fry your hard drive so bad you'll never buy a god damn computer again."

* * *

 **Meiko Ueda**

 **SHSL Hacker**

* * *

 _This was another name I recognized. Meiko was famous for publically hacking into government servers for attention. She has also helped bring down many crime rings, leading many mafia bosses to switch to hard copies. Known as That One Hacker Chick, Meiko burrowed into the dark web to sell her services to the highest bidder._

 _Meiko stood a couple inches shorter than me and seemed to weigh a bit less as well. Her completely white hair was cut in a bob, accentuating her upturned dull yellow eyes. Her skin was ashen, seeming to be stretched over a gangly frame. Despite this seemingly unattractive description, however, she seemed to radiate an energy that drew you towards her. She wore a loose white shirt that slightly revealed a black sports bra. She also had on brown shorts, black knee-highs, and black combat boots.  
_

Meiko smirked, pushing up her black-rimmed glasses. "Don't you go falling for me now. I don't want another lovesick puppy following me around. It gets fucking annoying."

The other girl looked at the figurehead, concerned. "Are you alright Kazuki? You look a bit out of it."

He blushed a bit and responded, "Sorry. Bad habit. And you are?"

The girl drew herself up a little bit, puffing out her chest. "Ze name is Priscilla de la Croix. You may refer to me as the SHSL Wedding Planner. A pleasure, I'm sure."

* * *

 **Priscilla de la Croix**

 **SHSL Wedding Planner**

* * *

 _Ah, the French student. She became well-renowned as the go-to person if you want to plan your perfect fairy tale wedding. Known to cut no corners and to make sure every single detail is immaculate, none of the weddings she had planned had ever resulted in a divorce._

 _Priscilla had straight, ankle-length, coppery hair that looked like she just walked out of the salon. It was partly pulled into a low ponytail with a black scrunchie, and had a long bang that completely covered her left eye. She stood at roughly the same height as Meiko, but was easily twenty pounds lighter. Her skin was even and pale, and highlighted her one visible golden eye. Priscilla's make-up was perfectly done, which made her appear even more like a doll. She was wearing a long-sleeved lacy white blouse, a black pencil skirt that hit her calf, black stockings, and black Mary Janes. With a black choker around her neck, a silver cross pin in her hair, a small leather bag in her hands, and a silver watch on, she was every part the delicate professional her reputation hinted at._

"Uh… Nobukatsu-san. You're doing the thing again. Fucking moron…" Meiko's voice pulling him out of his analysis.

"Shit… Thanks for that Ueda-san. And please kindly refrain from referring to me as such." Kazuki responded, knowing full well it was futile.

"I'll call you what I want to fucking call you." Meiko snapped, turning back to Priscilla. "Now give me back my fucking jacket you bitch or I'll fuck you up so bad you won't be able to plan any weddings for several long years."

Priscilla grudgingly handed back the coat with a grumbled "Watch your language..." She then locked eyes with the figurehead. "Kazuki. You appeared to not know of ze gate's ability to open?"

He blushed, self-conscious that the thought didn't occur to him. "Well… the one by my hut was barred, and I was too busy knocking on the others to really check it out… Is there anything much on the other side? Other people?"

Priscilla nodded quickly, seemingly bored with the conversation. "Zhere are a lot of buildings and rides. Other people as well. Go ahead if you want. Meiko and I are staying here."

Kazuki's heart leaped, then what she said sunk in. "You're not coming along?"

Priscilla sniffed. "Zhere is no need. We have already met all of the others over in zhat area, so why not introduce ourselves to ze rest? Come on Meiko. We're going."

With that, she turned tail and sauntered off, dragging a reluctant Meiko in tow. When the cries of "Get the fuck off of me you fucking zealot!" and "Profanity Meiko!" finally died down, the figurehead turned back to the gate.

 _There are other people here. I am not alone. We can survive this, whatever it is. All we have to do is try._

With that thought in my mind, Kazuki pulled open the gate and stepped into a completely different world.

 **INTRODUCED PLAYERS:**

 **Kazuki Nobukatsu: SHSL Figurehead**

 **Emi Ikeda: SHSL Reality TV Show Star**

 **Asahi Ikehara: SHSL Shogi Player**

 **Luke Winters: SHSL Mental Patient**

 **Meiko Ueda: SHSL Hacker**

 **Priscilla de la Croix: SHSL Wedding Planner**


	4. Prologue 0-3

Prologue 0-3: Introductions Part Two

* * *

Hey there everyone! You probably noticed a change in PoV. When I first started this I wasn't really well-versed in writing 3rd person, but now I greatly prefer it with this type of story. I'll do my best to edit the other chapters ASAP so it isn't as jarring. Also, sorry again for the long wait time. With the new character added I had to completely reconfigure my killing game, but I hope to have more regular updates from now on! I'm gonna start doing a little comment response thing at the end of each chapter, so please let me know if you want me to continue doing this. If you feel it takes away from the overall story I would be happy to stop! Thank you so much for reading, and here we go! Also, Merry Christmas to all of you who celebrate it!

* * *

Nothing could have prepared Kazuki for what he had stumbled upon. Priscilla did mention rides, but her description did absolutely nothing to encapsulate the overwhelming amount of stimuli that assaulted the figurehead.

 _How on Earth did I not hear any of this?_ He pondered, seriously concerned for his mental health. _Could the gate be… soundproofed? What would be the purpose?_

Regardless, he had to focus on exploring the new area, and finding more people. Kazuki remembered Priscilla saying something about other people, so at least he had the confidence that it wasn't going to be a fruitless endeavor.

The whole area was nicely paved with a stone path and lined with the occasional bench and street lamp. In front of him in the distance he could see the outline of a Ferris wheel. _Huh. I guess that's where we're supposed to meet. Better keep that in mind._ To Kazuki's left appeared to be several different roller coasters, as well as a little cart that seemed to sell souvenirs. There were two main buildings to his right; one that read "Kurostore" and the other that read "KK's Krazy Kafe". _KK's… wasn't that the name of the amusement park I was invited to? What the fuck is going on?_

Absorbed in his observations yet again, Kazuki didn't notice the loose stone on the pathway in front of him.

 _*Whump*_

 _Holy shit… that hurt._ The figurehead thought, holding his head as he laid on the ground, dazed. He had managed to turn at the last second, so only the side of his head and body made contact with the ground. Either way, it still hurt like hell.

"E-excuse me? A-are you a-alright?"

Turning towards the unfamiliar voice, Kazuki was greeted by welcome sight.

"Oh! Um… hey! I-I guess I'm fine. I didn't look where I was going, so that was my bad." He responded, chuckling a bit to hide his embarrassment.

The girl looked relieved. "Well t-thank goodness for that! I'm just g-glad you're okay. It would be b-bad if something were to h-happen to you after all. I m-mean, if we're g-going to get out of here, w-we need all the help we c-can get." Her gaze turned serious then, all traces of humor and compassion gone. "W-we wouldn't want you s-screwing things up for the r-rest of us."

A bit perturbed, he cautiously replied, "I know what you mean. This place looks impenetrable." Getting back to the matter at hand, Kazuki quickly introduced himself. "The name is Kazuki Nobukatsu by the way. I am the SHSL Figurehead."

She looked him over and, after a thoughtful glance, replied, "I-I guess it's n-nice to meet you. I'm N-noriko Tachibana, but y-you can call me Nori i-if you want! I s-strive for truth and j-justice for all every day, as the U-ultimate Prosecutor of the c-courts!"

* * *

 **Noriko Tachibana**

 **SHSL Prosecutor**

* * *

 _Even though law never really interested me, I already knew a good deal about this girl. She was different from many other Ultimates, primarily because she had lost cases in the past. Despite this, she still had one of the best records with cases, and worked with the defense attorneys to obtain all of the information on every case. Known for bringing the truth of the case to light, Noriko was the embodiment of the justice system's ideals._

 _Noriko was only an inch or two shorter than me, but appeared to weigh a bit more. She seemed to be well proportioned, despite her pear-like build giving the impression of more. Her chest-length black hair, pulled into two pigtails with bangs slanted to the right, had a natural curl, and emphasized her oval face. Noriko's pale skin showed off her freckles and almond-shaped, light green eyes. Topping it off with a small, upturned nose and thin lips, she practically radiated an aura of someone who worked in law._

 _Her clothing choice was rather... unique, you could say. It nearly rivaled Emi's in color, although it was much more professional. Noriko donned a ruffled orange, short-sleeved blouse with a white collar, and a knee-length navy skirt. Over the blouse she wore a long-sleeved crimson blazer, the sleeves secured with a round silver pin, with the insignia of what could only be her previous school on the left pocket. This insignia appeared to be an infinity symbol sewn with silver thread, matching the buttons. The blazer shared the same color of a cravat that rested on her head, settled right between her pigtails. Noriko also wore a pair of orange tights that held a vague diamond pattern, and calf-length, dark grey, heeled boots. Her hair was secured with orange elastics bearing a set of scales, which matched the brooch she placed on her right pocket of her blazer. She also had on a pair of red-framed glasses, silver earrings in the shape of gavels, a brown belt with a buckle shaped like a question mark, and she carried around a small brown satchel._

Noriko's words cut through his internal analysis. "I-is everything alright? D-did I do something wrong?"

Kazuki shook his head quickly, rushing to reassure her. "Not at all! I-I just have a habit of getting lost in thought a bit, so please don't take it personally." Pausing for a moment, he continued. "Y-you were the main prosecutor in Commonwealth vs Nichijuri, right?"

Her eyes lit up, glad to see the figurehead had heard of her. "Y-yeah! Th-that was me! It was w-wonderful to see justice served and to h-help put that murderer behind b-bars!

He couldn't help but smile at that. The shift from her prior behavior gave Kazuki hope that the two could get along better. "That truly was a well fought case. I am sure that all of the victims' families are grateful to you for giving them closure."

Noriko blushed, but she appeared modest in her pride. Glancing away briefly, she looked back to where Kazuki entered from. "Are there other p-people over there? Th-they could potentially be u-useful in getting us o-out of here."

 _That reminded me..._ "Y-yeah, there are. Only about three though, so if you've met up with everyone else here then you're almost done. There should be... sixteen in total, judging by the number of cabins."

She nodded slightly, not bothering to ask for an explanation. "I-I'll go meet them then. It h-hope it will wind up being a p-pleasure to have m-met you N-Nobukatsu-san."

At that, Noriko turned tail and purposefully walked over to the gate. With barely a backwards glance, she pushed it open and disappeared into the adjacent sector.

"Well then..." He huffed, slightly miffed at how easily she ditched him. _Now to find others..._

Kazuki carefully scanned the rest of the area, what he could see of it anyways. Suddenly, an inspiring shape found its way into his sight. Over by the game booths, someone appeared to be throwing something into one of the attractions.

"They look sharp..." Kazuki realized, turning his slight meandering into renewed vigor. "H-HEY! What are you doing?"

The stranger turned abruptly, holding something up threateningly. It looked like a... dart?

"Hey, hey, hey! No need to get violent! I'm trapped here, like you probably are, so can we _please_ not throw things?" The figurehead spat, anxiously trying to get out of the stranger's path.

He seemed to relax a bit, and lowered the dart. "Sorry 'bout that man. You just startled me, is all. Fight or flight and all that."

Now that he wasn't poised to attack, Kazuki noticed that he appeared to be pretty gentle. Looking at the booth he was in front of, the figurehead sheepishly realized that he was in the middle of popping balloons with the darts in his hand.

"No, that was on me. I-I've been pretty on edge lately." He bowed slightly, trying to recover his favor with the stranger. "P-please forgive me for my hasty conclusion."

The student ruffled his hair a bit, appearing a bit uncomfortable. "There's no need to apologize man. It's a weird situation, so you're good. The name is Takehiko Hoshino by the way. Feel free to call me Takei though! I was invited to Hope's Peak as the SHSL Astronomer. Let's be friends!"

* * *

 **Takehiko Hoshino**

 **SHSL Astronomer**

* * *

 _Oddly enough, even this name sounded familiar to me. My sorry excuse of a brother used a discovery of Takehiko's to pave the way for a new aspect of the company. His telescope blueprints must have been useful in... whatever my family's company does. After all, not many teenagers get recruited by NASA to develop space tech._

 _Takehiko seemed to be a couple inches shorter than me, as well as having a touch less weight. His build was very feminine, and he stood with a slight slouch, most likely from spending a good deal of time inside of his lab. The astronomer's hair was messy and jet black, curling slightly around the bottom of his chin. His upturned violet eyes stood out from his deathly pale skin, despite one being covered up by a medical eye-patch._ _He wore a white button-up shirt overlaid with a NASA sweater. His doodle-covered grey jeans nearly covered his worn out black sneakers._

His pretty average appearance only caught Kazuki's attention for a little bit, so he replied, "A pleasure to finally cross paths. My name is Kazuki Nobukatsu. Perhaps you remember me?"

Slight realization dawned in his eyes then, and he appeared to draw more into himself.

"O-oh. You're the CEO of Hatsubori Inc, right? It's nice to meet you in person. Yanno, put a face to the name."

The initial shock of the meeting had faded, and Takehiko appeared much less on edge. The figurehead looked closer inside of the booth, slightly in awe with how accurate his throws appeared. Kazuki gave a skeptical once-over to the male in front of him, not fully understanding how someone who looked so physically weak could be so precise.

"You have a lot of talent with darts." He started, trying to keep the surprise out of his voice. _Don't want to degrade him at all..._

He perked up and, as he responded, started to gesture a bit with his hands. "Thanks man! I practice a bunch when I get stuck with stuff, so I guess I'm a pro!" The astronomer chuckled a bit at that, turning back to the booth. "I haven't practiced in a while though, so that's why the grouping is so poor..."

Shock lit up Kazuki's features. _This_ was poor? He grabbed a couple of darts, aimed towards the targets and let it rip.

Takehiko burst into laughter. "Dude. I don't know anyone who could be that bad if they tried!"

Not only had the figurehead done poorly, but every single dart missed the target, lodging themselves somewhere in the booth. Kazuki ducked my head, embarrassed. "H-hey... I'm a bit rusty too..."

The astronomer continued to guffaw, slapping his knee with his hand. "What can you do on a good day? Hit the target?"

Just as he was about to defend himself, Takehiko continued. "Don't worry man. I'm just messing with you. Maybe try throwing just one dart at a time, and angling your body more sideways. That always helps with me!"

Grateful for the feedback, yet still a bit hurt with Takei's attitude, Kazuki smiled half-heartedly. "Y-yeah. I'll have to try that sometime. Let's do this again!"

He paused for a bit, a bit torn about leaving. _You do have to find the other students..._ Katashi remembered, finalizing his resolve. "Now that I think about it, I should get to meeting the other students. I'll see you around Takei-kun."

"No problem man. See you later." He replied, turning his attention back to the darts.

 _That was easier than I thought._ Kazuki breathed, grateful. Since he was heading in the general direction already, he decided to stop by the building labeled "Kurostore". The figurehead wasn't feeling any sort of hunger, so he opted to wait a bit before visiting the cafeteria.

A subtle ring sounded as Kazuki pushed open the door. The store seemed straightforward enough- shelves of relatively common supplies, bags of chips and such, and uncomfortably bright florescent lights. There was one area that was unfamiliar, however. There was a gumball machine filled with tiny capsules standing in the middle of the store, and the shelves seemed to wrap around it in a way.

Curious, Kazuki walked over, despite not having any money on him. As he got closer, he noticed a couple of odd-looking coins on the ground. The figurehead picked them up, noting an unusual bear design imprinted upon them. Pocketing the coins, he continued on his path.

His eyes skimmed over the attached screen, a bit confused at the phrasing. "Insert... kurokoins? Is that a kind of cryptocurrency or something?" That notion was dismissed when Kazuki saw the bear. Struck by a flash of inspiration, he pulled out the abnormal coins he picked up earlier, and inserted one into the slot.

An electronic voice sounded, startling him. "Thank you for using the KK lottery. Please come again."

The voice was accompanied by the subtle rolling of a capsule. Once it reached the opening, Kazuki took it, a bit scared to see what was inside.

* * *

 **Congratulations!**

 **You received a set of markers!**

 _It's a set of twenty-four markers. Only three hundred sets were made, and as such it is considered a large collector's item._

 _I wonder who would like this._

* * *

As Kazuki pondered over the meaning of the gift, as well as how it managed to fit inside such a tiny container, he was interrupted by a soft voice.

"Um... hi?"

Kazuki jumped, nearly dropping the set. "Oh, hello. Y-you scared me. What's up?"

The figurehead had to take a second to find the stranger's face. Finally, his neck strained, the new student came into view.

"I was just... wondering how you got that thing to work..." He replied, a light blush coming over his face. "It didn't work when I tried..."

Understanding flashed across Kazuki's features as he pulled out his remaining kurokoins. "I found these on the ground, and they seem to work. There might be more somewhere, though I'm honestly not sure."

The stranger's face dropped a bit, perking up suddenly. "How rude of me. I didn't introduce myself. My name is Atsuko Komatsu. If you're like everyone else I met, then you're probably an Ultimate, so call me the SHSL Illustrator."

* * *

 **Atsuko Komatsu**

 **SHSL Illustrator**

* * *

 _This name was one well-known in the art community. Atsuko had created hundreds of iconic characters, and was one of the highest-selling artists of the era. Known for his quirky yet familiar style, I myself had enjoyed several of his creations._

 _Atsuko towered over me by nearly a foot, and outweighed me by a hundred pounds. His dark brown hair was messily greased back with a few stray pieces plastered onto his slightly tan forehead. The illustrator's light green, almond-shaped eyes were slightly set into his sharp and chiseled facial features, pairing well with his bodybuilder-esque physique. Atsuko had on a long-sleeved button-up dress shirt overlaid with a light brown and green argyle sweater vest. He paired this with neatly pressed dark brown dress pants, polished black shoes, a black belt, and a black bow tie. Atsuko accessorized this with a brown beaded bracelet on his right wrist, a pair of red glasses hanging from his shirt pocket, and a silver wristwatch on his left wrist._

"Hey! I've heard of you! You're the guy who draws those comics with Shiromaki, right? They're hilarious!"

Atsuko blushed a bit deeper, a small smile gracing his face. "Yeah... that's me. It's nice to see that someone appreciates my stuff..."

Kazuki grinned back, grateful for the opportunity to relax. "My name is Kazuki Nobukatsu by the way. I'm the SHSL Figurehead, which to be honest is pretty useless..."

The illustrator immediately reacted, placing a cautious hand on Kazuki's shoulder. "No way! You have to be amazing at what you do to be considered by Hope's Peak, so don't worry about it." He glanced over to the machine again, then back to the coins in Kazuki's hand.

Taking the hint, Kazuki tossed a coin over to him. "Th-thanks. And here you go. Worst thing that happens is that we use all of the coins, so not much is at stake." Remembering what he received from the machine earlier, Kazuki pulled out the set of markers.

"Take this too. I don't really have a use for it."

Surprise and gratefulness danced across the illustrator's face. "Wow! Thank you so much! I owe you one!"

* * *

 **You gave the set of markers to Atsuko Komatsu.**

 **He seemed to really like them.**

 **Your friendship has improved.**

* * *

Their moment of bonding was interrupted by a loud growl from Kazuki's stomach. "S-sorry about that..." He muttered sheepishly.

Atsuko waved it off, lightly chuckling. "Don't worry about it. You should probably get something to eat. I'll just be here testing out this machine."

The figurehead's stomach agreed with that statement, growling again. "Y-yeah, that's probably a good idea. It was nice meeting you!"

Not waiting for the illustrator's response, Kazuki exited the store. He walked quickly to the mess hall, barely registering the astronomer's greeting. When the mess hall doors finally appeared in front of him, he threw them open, fully anticipating a hearty meal.

The mess hall resembled a typical high school cafeteria, but with some slight alterations. It was incredibly spacious, filling up room with a dozen circular white tables and padded black chairs. The walls were painted a deep russet, and the floors were faux hardwood. There appeared to be a door leading off to perhaps the kitchen along the right wall, and the lighting stopped just short of florescent.

What really grabbed Kazuki's attention though were the two students sitting at one of the tables along the left wall. The one had a notebook open and was listening with rapt attention to the other, occasionally jotting down notes. Kazuki walked over, a bit curious as to what they were saying.

"There was no particular reason." The one student stated, looking out the window. "Humans fascinate me, in a way. How to better understand the complexity of the human mind than to become someone they confide in?"

Their counterpart jotted a couple lines down and, just before they asked another question, he noticed the figurehead. "Oh, hello. Can I help you with something?"

A bit startled by the change in the environment, Kazuki replied, "Sorry for interrupting. I was just about to get some food when I saw you here. I hope I didn't intrude."

The tense atmosphere melted as the boy broke into a laugh. "No, not at all. In fact, please join us! I was just asking Sorano a bit about herself. I'm Akio Sato, the SHSL Journalist." His eyebrows waggled a bit, jesting. "You best be careful before I find out all of your secrets!"

* * *

 **Akio Sato**

 **SHSL Journalist**

* * *

 _Akio's claim to fame was through a highly controversial piece about the president of the United States. Despite receiving tons of backlash, Sato held his position, ultimately having it pay off when the president himself confessed. Since that phenomena, Akio continued to publish articles that reveal the truth about society, endearing himself to his growing fanbase._

 _The journalist was perhaps an inch or two shorter than me, but still weighed a touch more than me. Giving off a little brother vibe, his narrow green eyes held a hint of humor in their gaze. His shoulder-length red hair had a jagged cut, and was lightly tousled, almost as if he had just woken up. Akio wore a maroon top with the sleeves held back by straps on his shoulders, black slacks, and a pair of black dress shoes. He accessorized this with a stylish black fedora with a piece of paper reading "press" tucked into the band._

Kazuki coughed, a bit uncomfortable. "I-i'd be happy to give you an interview, but I'm afraid that my secrets will have to stay solely my own. It's part of the job."

Akio perked up in interest. "And who might you be?"

 _How rude..._ Kazuki thought, chastising himself. "My name is Kazuki Nobukatsu. Hope's Peak gave me the title of the SHSL Figurehead."

Another voice cut in. "Figurehead, you say? That must leave you with a severe inferiority complex, self-doubt, and depression. Why immerse yourself in such a taxing profession?"

The truth of those words cut Kazuki deeply, and a bit of his relaxed nature faded into tension. "Based on your confidence in the topic, I assume that you deal with the mind in some capacity. As much as I respect your dedication to your profession, I must ask that you withhold yourself from prying too deeply into my personal life without my consent." The ice in Kazuki's gaze slightly softened, allowing him to get a better grip on himself. "Regardless, it is nice to see another face here, so I hope we grow to get along."

A smirk played across the girl's face. "My my, so touchy. How... interesting. As Akio here mentioned earlier, my name is Sorano Hotaru, and as you concluded, I am the SHSL Psychologist. I will take great interest in examining your behaviors."

* * *

 **Sorano Hotaru**

 **SHSL Psychologist**

* * *

 _Pretty much everyone knew of Sorano, even if they couldn't put a face to the name. She was the host of a Dr. Phil type of show for a couple of years, beginning at the age of eleven. Despite being helpful in many cases, her scrutinizing nature and habit of degrading her patients did cause her to lose a bit of her following._

 _Sorano's curly black hair fell over her tanned skin to her_ _rib-cage, with the top half of it pulled back and held in place by a pearl clip. Comparing our heights while sitting, she was perhaps a good half foot shorter than me, and also weighed less. The psychologist's piercing blue eyes were accentuated by her tortoiseshell glasses and heart-shaped face. She wore a wisteria colored blouse paired with beige slacks. Sorano also had on a beige blazer and brown pumps. She also sported a silver necklace and a small brown satchel._

"Hm... lack of attention and heightened focus to details... how curious." The disinterested drawl of the psychologist interrupted Kazuki's scrutiny.

Kazuki immediately disliked the girl, but by no means was he going to let her know that. "Th-that's not entirely true. It's a habit that only appeared recently, most likely due to the sudden change of environment. Nothing for you to analyze, I'm afraid."

"Anywaaaays...", cut in the welcome voice of Akio, "Do you want to join us?"

Breathing a sigh of relief, Kazuki nodded. After all, a simple interview couldn't hurt, right?

"Excellent! Alright now, what would you say is the most important aspect of what you do?" Sato had his pen lightly pressed onto the paper, glancing at Kazuki in anticipation.

The first question wasn't entirely a surprise, so Kazuki easily answered. "With what I do, you have to be prepared for anything. A strong spirit and open mind have gotten me this far, and my will to survive has helped the family business thrive."

Unfolding pretty regularly from there, the interview eased some of Kazuki's tension. _Who knows? Maybe we'll get out of here soon, and it will be the next article he publishes? Come on Kazuki... stay positive..._

His brief moment of introspection suddenly dissolved when Akio asked his next question. The question itself was pretty generic, but for Kazuki it may as well have been a death sentence. "So Nobukatsu-san. Tell me about your family. We all know the public image, but tell me about the _real_ Nobukatsu family."

Kazuki's breath caught in his throat, and he had to make a conscious effort not to choke. _Think, Kazuki, THINK!_ Throughout his panic, he noticed Sorano watching him, her interest in his behavior apparent.

His lips parted to answer, not knowing what he was going to say, when a beautiful and horrifying sound saved him from his fate.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!"

* * *

 **Introduced Players:**

 **Noriko Tachibana: SHSL Prosecutor**

 **Takehiko Hoshino: SHSL Astronomer**

 **Atsuko Komatsu: SHSL Illustrator**

 **Akio Sato: SHSL Journalist**

 **Sorano Hotaru: SHSL Psychologist**

* * *

 _So hey guys! That was chapter 3-ish! I really hope you enjoyed!_

 _Comment responses thing:_

 _TheRoseShadow21- Thank you so much! I really love your writing, so it really means a lot!_

 _GunMaker436- I really appreciate the compliments! It's so fulfilling to know that people enjoy my writing!_

 _TheUbermenschWriter- I'm glad you're enjoying the characters so far! I hope these characters lived up to your expectations!_

 _Trust Me I'm Me- You already know, but I'll say it again. Your comments and messages mean SO much to me. In fact, I'm really hoping/looking forward to your comment on this chapter!_

 _Aaaand that's a wrap! A bit rough, but tell me if you want me to keep this! Merry crisis!_


	5. Prologue 0-4

Prologue 0-4: Introductions Part Three

* * *

Greetings everyone! This update was much easier to write than I thought, so surprise! It actually took me less than two months! (That won't happen again, I swear...)

I will be making a poll for you guys to choose who the protagonist will spend free time with. If you want any say in the decision, please either comment or go to the poll in my profile! This is in part because I still want viewer input, and partially because I don't want you guys thinking I'm death flagging with who I choose.

That being said, here's the next chapter!

* * *

"AAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!"

The blood-curdling screech from the kitchen immediately prompted Kazuki to move. Sprinting to the kitchen with Sorano and Akio in tow, Kazuki yanked open the door...

And stopped dead in his tracks...

Entering the room with no idea what to expect, the sheer amount of blood made Kazuki want to vomit. Red spilled over the counter, gushing in torrents from a long-dead pig. The most gruesome sight was perhaps the fact that the pig was strung up by several large hooks that hung from the ceiling. Despite this gory sight, the source of the scream didn't appear to be in any immediate danger.

"Oh thank God." Kazuki breathed, the small action nearly causing him to choke on the stench of death permeating the air. The relief flooding through him was cut short as he noticed ragged breathing coming from behind him.

Turning to the left, Kazuki's eyes fell upon yet another unfamiliar face. The student appeared petrified, their gaze fixed upon the bloody sight. Their clothes were spattered with the same blood dripping onto the white linoleum floor, barely showing up on their dark outfit.

Immediately concerned for their well being, Kazuki asked, "A-are you okay?", concern playing across his face.

The stranger sniffed, as if offended by the question. "What makes you think I would ever be 'okay'? Did I or did I not just wake up in a foreign place, sharing a room with a dead pig? I prefer not to see where my food comes from, thank you very much."

 _Well damn... she's rude. Although I do suppose it is justified given the situation. Let's just hope that she becomes more pleasant later on._

Pushing the thought down, Kazuki ran a hurried hand through his hair. "S-sorry. That was partially thoughtless on my pa-"

"You bet you unworthy ass you were thoughtless!" she snapped, seeming to have overcome her prior panic. "Now introduce yourself to me. You are allowed to share your name if you wish, though it is your talent I am more interested. It might prove... useful."

The girl was giving Kazuki really bad vibes, but he obliged. "A-alright. My name is Kazuki Nobukatsu. I have been given the title of the SHSL Figurehead. Are you satisfied?"

Instead of immediately returning the favor, the student burst into laughter. Thrown off-guard, Kazuki could only stand there until she finally ceased. Seeming to calm herself down a bit, she replied, "I have no need to apologize to the likes of you. It is merely a fitting talent for someone such as you. Much like your personality and existence, your Ultimate talent has no use."

 _Okay, what the hell? ...Way to pick at my insecurities, you bitch..._

She smirked, pleased to see that she had gotten to the figurehead. "I, on the other hand, have a much better talent than any of you lesser beings. My name is Saiko Homura, the SHSL Puppeteer. You can bow down now."

* * *

 **Saiko Homura**

 **SHSL Puppeteer**

* * *

 _I actually used to be a huge fan of her work. Not anymore it seems. Known as the master of the art of marionettes, I had come across Saiko in the midst of my darker phase in middle school. As much as I respected her art and craft, I had no idea she would be so... rude. Her macabre style of performance focused on the flaws in human nature while also appealing to the younger generations. It was through this unique combination that she gained the attention of Hope's Peak Academy._

 _Saiko closely resembled a doll or puppet herself. Golden ringlets that framed her petite face and teal eyes were pulled into two high pigtails and just brushed her shoulders. She was almost a foot shorter than me, weighing in at around 80 pounds, though she didn't appear unhealthily thin to me. Her unblemished pale skin was touched up with a hint of make-up, the style of which accentuated her half-European heritage._

 _Her fashion choices contained many gothic lolita elements not dissimilar to the former SHSL Gambler. Saiko wore a red and black ruffled dress that puffed out a bit at the waist, just hitting her knee. The dress' sleeves were short, puffy things, with a white bow at the end of each one. She had on a black lace choker, pairing it with a matching hairpiece and black fishnet stockings. On her feet were a pair of white lace-up heels, and she carried a red silk clutch._

A scoff made its way to the figurehead's attention then. "How rude, and honestly pitiful. Shocked by my greatness, I see?" _W-what? What is she talking about?_ "When addressed by me in the future, remember to reply. That is not a suggestion, understand?"

Stunned, Kazuki stammered out a "Y-yes ma'am." to which she gave a brief nod.

"That's more like it lowly one. Remember your place in this world- eternally below me."

 _Holy shit. I thought Sorano and Asahi were bad, but this is too far!_

Mustering up his courage, Kazuki replied, "E-excuse me Homura-san, but please stop being so rude. We've only just met, and already you are degrading and offensive. We need to work through this together, and that can't really happen if anyone thinks themselves above another."

A vaguely familiar and new voice piped up from behind me. "Don't bother Nobukatsu-san. She clearly has a god complex, as well as issues with self-doubt, depression, anxiety, and an inferiority complex. Quite an interesting combination, especially considering she placed herself in a position of power. Regardless, it is most likely a source of internal conflict that gnaws away at her sense of self-worth."

Turning suddenly, the figurehead caught a glimpse at the girl. _Of course, it's Sorano. Who else would be needlessly cruel? Oh, wait, Saiko. I guess I should be grateful then? I mean, it's not like Saiko was attacking me or anything..._

Kazuki turned back to the puppeteer and was shocked to see the scarlet hue that tinted her cheeks and neck. "Y-y-y-you... _insolent worm_! How dare you talk to me in such a way! I am Saiko-"

"Yes. Yes, you are." Sorano replied with a chuckle. "And it's quite obvious too, but no matter. We all know quite well that Hope's Peak Academy has no qualms about admitting students who are... less than mentally sound."

The scarlet grew deeper, bordering on maroon. "Indeed. Th-that's why you're here! You are not a worthy subject. Get out of my sight!"

"Easy, easy, easy. Everything's fine... Saiko, was it? The name's Akio Sato, journalist extraordinaire." the redhead gave a small bow before reaching out and taking the puppeteer's hand. "And I simply must say, it is quite a pleasure to meet you. I haven't seen such a lovely girl in quite some time."

To Kazuki's relief, the journalist's words seemed to work wonders on the girl. Angry blush receding, she regained a good deal of her composure before speaking. "Finally, someone who appreciates my greatness. Yes... you will do nicely. Alright then, get to work! I expect you back here in half an hour sharp."

Akio looked very confused with that remark. "Pardon me miss, but... work?"

An exasperated sigh escaped the blonde. "I thought it was obvious. Go and recruit more people to join us. There are too few in this world who acknowledge my might." Giving a dismissive wave, Saiko turned her face away from the redhead, clearly finished with him.

"O-okay...? That'll be good to figure out more about this place." With that, he exited the kitchen, careful to avoid the drops of blood on the floor. Akio shot the group one last look that Kazuki couldn't decipher before closing the door behind him.

With the positive energy gone, a suffocating silence temporarily falling over the trio. Uncomfortable, Kazuki's eyes passed over the dead pig once again.

"S-so... do you know what the pig is doing there? It's a pretty weird spot, even though it is the kitchen."

Saiko opened her mouth to answer but was cut off by an unearthly screech. The feedback-like sound played a symphony of pain for the three to hear, causing them to clutch their ears for protection.

 **"Oh finally! Someone asked a question I can answer!"**

Sorano and Kazuki stared at each other, the latter one aghast. "W-what the hell was that?" he asked, searching the room for a source of the demonic voice.

 **"It's not _what_ _,_ it's _who_... but now's not the time for that. I couldn't bear if I ruined the surprise!"**

Piping up with a slight snarl to her tone, Saiko chastised the stranger. "Reveal your identity at once! I will not have a being in this world treat me in such a manner!"

 **"...weak."**

The snarl turned into a full-blown scream. "HOW DARE YOU!"

 **"Easy. Because you can't find me~ upupupupupupu... Now do you want the answer to your question or not?"**

It was then that Kazuki decided to step in. "Saiko, kindly shut up. No one wants to hear your bitching right now." Continuing his perusing of the room, he called out, "Hey, stranger, please just answer our question. Sorry about her, she's kind of... you know..."

 **"Pupupupupu... of course, I know. I brought her here! I know you all better than you know yourselves~"**

"What the fuck? What are you talking about?"

The strange voice gave a little snort. **"The pig is there for breakfast. Every day a pig is strung up, and every night it's chopped up at 10:00 pm sharp! The meat from the pig is then used for your sausage and bacon the next morning!**

Kazuki was raging. "That's not the question I meant! H-hey! HEY! Answer us!"

 **"Ta ta for now, little Kazu-kun~"**

With that, there was the sound of a speaker turning off, and the voice was gone.

"Shit... SHIT!" the figurehead cursed, slamming his fist against the table. "Damn it... I was right. I fucking hate when I'm right..."

"Hm... interesting. Abandonment issues and a history of traumatizing experiences, am I right?" the psychologist's tone was level, not showing any hint of distress.

All but sprinting to the door, Kazuki shot back a quick, "Stop fucking doing that!" before he tore out of the kitchen in search of other students.

He barely registered the cafeteria, didn't even see the Kurostore, and nearly tripped over a couple of stones before he came back to his senses. Shaken out of his fear-driven burst of energy, Kazuki was embarrassed to find himself standing a couple of feet away from another student.

"Pardon me, but are you alright?" the stranger's voice was soft and kind, a welcome change to those he had previously met.

Taking a couple of shaky breaths, Kazuki mustered up the strength to reply. "N-not really. You see-" A thought occurred to him. _What if this is all a joke? I don't want people hating me because of a false belief, no matter how convincing._ "You see... I just met an extraordinarily rude group of people." _More like person, but better to keep it vague._

Sympathy briefly flashed across her features. "I am sorry to hear that. Perhaps I will make for better company?"

 _Thank God. She seems pretty nice..._ The figurehead let himself relax a bit more. "So far it's a welcome change. The name's Kazuki Nobukatsu, and I'm the SHSL Figurehead. Everyone else here seems to be an Ultimate, so I hope that wasn't uncalled for."

Her eyes lit up. "Oh! Nobukatsu-san! My family's business has done work with your business before. My name is Hibiki Iseri, and I am the SHSL Equestrian. How lovely to finally meet you!"

* * *

 **Hibiki Iseri**

 **SHSL Equestrian**

* * *

 _The girl's name made my blood run cold. The Iseri family was one I had been avoiding ever since the last time we struck a business deal. Hibiki by herself was well-known for her kindness towards animals and exceptional ability to tame even the wildest stallion. Her father, on the other hand, remained as one of the most terrifying people I had ever met. Although he appeared to be a genuinely kind businessman on the surface, I had faultless evidence that there was more than met the eye. I couldn't truly separate the two, even though Hibiki seemed nothing but pleasant._

 _Hibiki looked to be a little under five feet tall, with a healthy weight to match. She had her pale blonde hair styled in a lob cut, framing her circular face and highlighting her jade eyes. Her posture hinted at her higher class, and she wore an optimistic and determined expression._

 _The equestrian's clothing choice had an air of simple sophistication about it. With her honey-hued sweater and black slacks, she radiated elegance. This was paired with a caramel colored hunting coat and a matching beret, as well as a pair of thin white gloves. In addition, she carried a small black purse that matched her mary janes._

Making sure to keep his observation brief, Kazuki immediately dropped into a bow. "The pleasure is all mine Iseri-sama. I have heard much about your excellence in your field, so it is no surprise to see you among the ranks of the world's best and brightest."

She laughed, the bell-like sound so drastically different from the father's harsh tones. "Please Nobukatsu-san. There is no need for such formality. We are the same age, after all!"

Much to the figurehead's embarrassment, he could clearly see the amusement she felt. "If that is what you wish Iseri-san. Also, please forgive me for any rude or inconsiderate actions or words I may indulge myself with in the future. I have no desire to-"

"Do not worry about getting on my father's bad side. If what I assume is correct, we have no way to contact the outside world from here. As such, it is highly likely that they cannot see us either, otherwise, a search and rescue party would have already been sent out. Either way, I like you Nobukatsu-san. I doubt you would have done anything so horrendous as to gain my father's attention." A little snarkiness bled through the practiced cadence, serving as a slight warning to the figurehead.

 _If only she knew... I'm honestly surprised I'm still alive at this point._

Taking a step back, he replied, "Well that is both a relief and source of worry. I just pray that we find a way out of here soon. N-not because of your presence, of course..."

Her smile became a bit more genuine then, tinged with the joy of an understood secret. "I truly appreciate that. Besides, you most likely wish to get away from that... group of people as much as possible, no?"

 _A-am I that easy to read? Ah well, I was panicking, so that is acceptable._

"Exactly Iseri-san. The group of people." He responded with a matching grin.

Something struck Hibiki then. "You mentioned your talent was as a... figurehead? I would assume one such as yourself would be the SHSL CEO or something of the sort. If you would not mind, please enlighten me."

 _Shit. Shit on a biscuit._ "W-well Iseri-san, the job description matches up pretty well to what it appears to be. I am the face of the company and business, but most of the major decisions are made by an... anonymous third party you could say. That way the true head is safe while I act in their place."

Kazuki prayed that it would end her curiosity, but it only seemed to interest her more. "Oh, I see. You are much stronger than I initially gave you credit for, Nobukatsu-san."

"T-thank you Iseri-san. That truly means a lot to me." It did, more than she could and would ever know. "By the way Iseri-san, I still have an area or two to visit in this place. Would you care to join me?"

Hibiki's head tilted, considering the proposition. After a moment, she gave it a gentle shake. "I greatly appreciate the offer, but I must decline. I am quite content here, and I believe that your interactions should be solely your own. We will meet again at the ferris wheel regardless." Offering her hand, she flashed the genuine smile again. "It was truly a pleasure to meet you Nobukatsu-san. I hope you know that."

The raven-haired boy shook her hand, before making a polite bow and continuing on his way. The path truly was beautiful: the combined effect of the newly-installed cobblestone and carefully spaced lighting created a calming and elegant effect. As he walked towards the roller coasters, Kazuki attempted to come to terms with his situation.

 _So I have been kidnapped, that's for sure. Me and... at least twelve others. And we were brought here- why? That voice probably has something to do with this, but what? And now_ his _daughter is here? Plus, why are we all Ultimate students? Did whoever was behind this hunt us down? How the hell did they get inside my house? What do they want? Why are we here? What are we going to do..._

His melancholic thoughts were jolted by yet another confrontation unfolding in front of him.

"I'm sorry man, but I don't know what you're talking about."

"Pardon me if I am wrong, although you are not, you just made a comment about my cane. I find that quite rude, considering we just met."

A chuckle from the first. "Oh, that? Sorry if you took it that way. I was just sayin' how it's kinda weird that someone with your talent has a cane."

"Either way, I am still here, am I not? Obviously, my skill level is still above the Hope's Peak standard even with my... little inconvenience. The same cannot be said about you, or is your talent escaping you at the moment?"

"Oh come on dude! That was just wrong. I'm proud of my talent, alright?"

When Kazuki saw the shorter student getting into a combat position, he decided it would be best to intervene.

"H-hello there. Is everything alright?"

Two sets of eyes bored straight into his skull. Finally, the taller one spoke up. "Hey, dude. This guy here just got a bit too punch-happy 'cuz he thought I'd offended him or something. I probably could've taken him though."

"I highly doubt that." the other one scoffed, "Even with this... thing, I could still easily make you wish you were never born."

 _Oh dear, this seems like it's not going to end well._

"G-guys, stop it! This isn't getting anyone anywhere. Since you two seem... acquainted with each other at least, I might as well make myself known. My name is Kazuki Nobukatsu, the SHSL Figurehead."

The one with multicolored hair spoke up first. "Hey then. Hiroshi Hisakawa's the name, not remembering shit is my game!"

* * *

 **Hiroshi Hisakawa**

 **SHSL Amnesiac**

* * *

 _Hm... I didn't actually know this person, which surprised me. He obviously had amnesia, hence his talent, but other than that he was a complete and total stranger to me. I wonder what his story is..._

 _Hiroshi stood a couple inches taller than me, also weighing a touch more. His golden eyes twinkled with mischief, matching the warm smile on his face. The amnesiac's hair was yellow as well, with the dips dyed a bright red._

 _The blonde's outfit was overflowing with color. He had on a cyan-heavy Hawaiian shirt with patterns of sunsets and birds nearly blinding me. Also wearing a pair of khaki shorts, Hiroshi donned a pair of brown open-toed sandals and ankle-high white socks. In addition, there was a pair of aviator sunglasses hanging off of his shirt, and he had on a dark crystal necklace._

"Why so surprised? Let me guess, not much of a talent, right?" the blonde was sheepish, but seemingly used to such a response.

Kazuki immediately backtracked. "No, it's not that! I've just been getting lost in thought a lot more lately. Please know that I'm not normally like this."

 _Come on you idiot. Why does this keep happening? Is it the aftereffects of whatever was used to bring me here?_

Hiroshi's smile returned, and he appeared to have gotten over his previous self-conscious attitude. "No problem man, though you might want to work on that." At this point, he gave a slightly pointed glare towards the other stranger. "Some people here are more touchy than others when it comes to first impressions."

The person in question's jaw clenched. "Well, perhaps you should have spoken up when you made the comment you did. Pity, since you seemed to be an upstanding human."

"That wasn't necessary dude. It was just a misunderstanding, alright? I get that you thought I said something, but now's kinda the time to get that stick out of your ass."

"Aaaanyway." Kazuki interrupted, "Would you care to introduce yourself to me as well? This fighting is pointless, especially considering we might have to deal with each other for a long time."

The other stranger sniffed. "Fine then. There doesn't appear to be any harm in doing so. My name is Yannick Voclaine, and I am referred to as the SHSL Savateur. A kickboxer in your terms."

* * *

 **Yannick Voclaine**

 **SHSL Savateur**

* * *

 _Ah, La Resistance. I hadn't caught word of him for a while, but it made sense that he was an Ultimate. This man was such an extreme fighter that people insisted he used painkillers and steroids, only to be proven extraordinarily false. With a nearly perfect track record, this technical master pummeled his opponents in matches in which he only had a draw one time- a fight against five other people._

 _Yannick was only an inch or so taller than me, but his weight far outclassed my own due to sheer muscle mass. He had close-cropped black hair and emerald eyes that stood out against his pallid skin. The skin itself had noticeable burn marks on his right hand and seemed well-worn at the knuckles._

 _The kickboxer donned a khaki trenchcoat that was layered on top of a white shirt with a navy insignia. Tucked into one of the pockets, I could see the chain of what appeared to be a bronze compass of sorts that complimented his black and gold corduroy sailor cap. On his bottom half were a pair of loose-fitting blue fishing pants, a belt detailed with a fishing boat, and tanned steel-tipped boots. In addition, he was carrying a metal cane due to the injuries he sustained whilst kickboxing._

"Now I see what the clueless one meant. You really do take your time, do you not?" Yannick stated, not appearing to be condescending at all.

"I-I apologize Voclaine-san. I'll do my best to ensure it won't happen again. I swear this is unlike me." Kazuki was getting extraordinarily tired of having to make excuses, but until he knew the source of his new development he decided that atonement would be the best option.

Hiroshi piped up. "Don't worry about it Nobukatsu-san. Everyone gets like that sometimes. I'm sure you'll be back to your normal self in a matter of hours."

 _Speaking of time..._ "Do either of you happen to have a watch on you? I don't want to be late for... whatever it is that the person who brought us here wants."

Yannick reached into his pocket, pulling out what Kazuki initially believed to be a compass. "I have one right here. It's quite useful when I need the direction and time simultaneously. Built it myself. It's... 11:20 at the moment."

 _Crap... time really has flown. I need to get to that ferris wheel and fast. And based on the number of cabins, there should be one other student. I wonder where they could be?_

"In that case, I should make my leave now. It was truly a pleasure to meet your acquaintance. I guess I'll see you at the meeting!"

Yannick shot the figurehead a little half-smile. "That sounds splendid. Perhaps I shall meet better company in the meantime."

"Hey! Can you just get over that? Please? Ugh... nevermind. See you Nobukatsu-san." The amnesiac ran his hand through his already touselled hair with a sigh.

Cautiously walking away, Kazuki took the time to examine the roller coasters in the section. _Makoto Magica... isn't that the one magical girl anime? How did this person get the rights to create a roller coaster based off of it? And this one- Zankyou no Teruteru-r... it appears to be very similar to that one ride in the popular Western theme park._

The various ride names puzzled the figurehead, but not any more so than everything else that was occurring. Deciding to head back to the wheel, he noticed that there appeared to be a bear engraving on the center of the ride. _All of this bear imagery- first with the note, and then sprinkled throughout the park. I don't like this. I don't like this at all..._

His inner turmoil was cut off as he neared the meeting point by an overzealous shout from above him. Looking upwards, his heart stopped.

There was another person standing on top of the ferris wheel, directly on top of the highest pod.

"Wh-what the fuck man? How the hell did you get up there! Get down! You're going to fall!" Although he knew the shouting would probably damage his already dry throat, Kazuki really didn't care. Everything else faded away except for the newest person and the figurehead.

A boasting reply answered him, "There is no need to be alarmed ladies and gentlemen! This is nothing for the likes of me!"

Before Kazuki could react, the newcomer threw himself off of the pod. _Holy fucking hell he's going to die. He's going to fucking die. That is literally the dumbest thing anybody could do, and he just up and did it._

The figurehead's panic was short-lived as the newbie elegantly caught hold of one of the support beams attaching to the hub. Using it like a gymnast would a bar, he continued to weave through the contraption, crowing out the occasional, "And he's done it again!".

With a final artistic flourish, the student landed directly in front of Kazuki, causing him to nearly fall backward.

"Well, hello there stranger! I know what you're thinking... 'Wow! This is so cool! I've finally met him- the SHSL Monkey Parkourist!'." His expression shifted to one of mock disappointment. "Nah... unfortunately I'm not _thaaat_ amazing. I'm just the SHSL Traceur! The name's Jun Akashi, but please, just call me Akashi!"

* * *

 **Jun Akashi**

 **SHSL Traceur**

* * *

 _I thought that infectious attitude and freedom of movement looked familiar. Although he tried his best to keep videos and such of him off of the internet, I had some connections that enable me to see the so-called 'Vermillion Falcon' in action. Part of what made him so popular was his efforts to remain incognito, and boy did he become popular. After only a year or so of being known to the public, he was already getting hailed as a chief source of inspiration for the art._

 _Akashi appeared to be nearly, if not exactly, the same size as the amnesiac, but the traceur definitely appeared to be more toned. His shaggy dark-grey, ear-length hair was tied back with a vermillion banana, matching his namesake. Almost unnervingly piercing silver eyes shone out from slightly tanned skin, and contrasted his perfect smile and upbeat demeanor._

 _Surprisingly, the flamboyant boy's clothing choices were very monotonous in color. His dark grey zip-up hoodie had its sleeves rolled up, revealing Jun's toned arms, and were only a shade or two lighter than his black jeans. The shoes he wore slightly unnerved me, as they were the kind that looked like foot gloves, and they were also black in hue. Accessorizing this with a pair of black, fingerless gloves and his bandana, the traceur looked a bit more like a cat burglar than he did a parkour artist._

"Aw... I'm touched. I've left you speechless! Seriously though, what is your talent? The SHSL Positivity Bringer?" If Kazuki had thought Emi had a big smile, he wasn't nearly prepared for Akashi's.

"N-nothing like that, I'm afraid. My name is Kazuki Nobukatsu, the SHSL Figurehead. I'm... pretty much useless..."

Akashi looked shocked. "With your physique? Don't you dare think like that!"

A bit confused with the response, the figurehead kept up a pleasant conversation regardless, hoping to pass the time in a way that wouldn't have him thinking about the strange voice.

It worked surprisingly well- pretty soon the other students filed in, some more willingly than others, into the main area. Kazuki could've sworn that he saw Priscilla dragging Meiko by her shirt collar, but he was a bit too engrossed with his conversation to pay too much attention. The range of responses to Kazuki's presence varied greatly. When Asahi entered he gave her a polite nod, but she only glared at him in return. On the other hand, Emi immediately ran over and gave him a hug, tripping over herself several dozen times in the process.

This _is certainly an interesting group of people._ He thought, not entirely unhappy. Another pair caught his eye. _Oh, poor Akio... I just hope Saiko doesn't run him too ragged. Either way, it looks like he didn't have too much luck with recruitment._

Turning back to Akashi, he opened his mouth to speak. "Oh, by the way, Akashi-san-"

As he was about to finish his question, the feedback from the kitchen returned with a vengeance, causing grunts of pain from the students. Praying it was just a technical malfunction, Kazuki nearly continued when a horrifying sound made its way to his ears.

 **"Upupupupupupupu..."**

* * *

 **Introduced Players:**

 **Saiko Homura: SHSL Puppeteer**

 **Hibiki Iseri: SHSL Equestrian**

 **Hiroshi Hisakawa: SHSL Amnesiac**

 **Yannick Voclaine: SHSL Savateur**

 **Jun Akashi: SHSL Traceur**

* * *

 _And so it begins..._

 _Seriously you guys, thank you so much for reading this far, it truly means a lot! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please feel free to vote on the poll! I'll keep it open for like two months or so, so you have plenty of time! Also, please feel free to comment saying who you think the mastermind/traitor/first victim/first killer will be! I'd love to hear what impressions you are getting so far!_

 _And now... some comment replies because I'm unoriginal!_

 _TheRoseShadow21- Thank you again for such a kind review! I'm so glad you've been enjoying the fanfic thus far!_

 _Trust Me I'm Me- Dude, I cannot explain how much joy I get from reading your reviews. It makes me so happy to know that people are invested in this story, and it really motivates me, you know?_

 _Have a fantastic morning/afternoon/evening everyone!_


	6. Chapter 1-1: Rhapsody in Doom

Chapter 1-1: Rhapsody in Doom

* * *

Hey again you guys! Thanks for coming back! Just a quick thing before we get this party started. Thank you so much to everyone who has voted for the FTE so far! As of right now, five people have voted, but more will always be appreciated! There is a four-way tie for 2nd place currently, so you are welcome to break that tie and give me clear front-runners! Meiko Ueda is currently in first place with three votes, but I don't want to have to choose from four options who the other three will be. That might have y'all overthinking my decision, which would just be kind of chaotic. Who do you want to get to know more? Feel free to vote through the poll on my profile!

I will be closing the poll in 10 days, so on **April 7th**. Please feel free to vote!

Alright! Here we go!

* * *

 **"Upupupupupupu..."**

Kazuki froze. That hauntingly familiar laugh brought his breath to a halt, causing a strangled gasp to escape his throat. The smell of clotting blood filled his nostrils again as horror pierced his heart.

 _I-I know that voice..._ he thought, his eyes shooting straight to Saiko. As he found her in the crowd, he prayed that he was wrong. _She and I both heard that disembodied jerk earlier. If anyone here could verify my fear, it's her._

Good fortune seemed to be avoiding Kazuki, as he witnessed an expression of unbridled fury overtaking the puppeteer's features. The figurehead covered his ears just in time as an ear-piercing shriek cut through the surprisingly cool morning air.

"How DARE you!" she spat, her voice cascading wildly out of control. All semblance of composure had long since vanished beneath the torrent of fury pouring out of her lips.

Akio, who had been standing miserably beside her, jumped slightly before hastily sneaking away. He wandered around the area listlessly, and it was clear that the puppeteer's rant hit him unawares. Eventually, he sat down cautiously on a bench next to Asahi, and he attempted to engage her in conversation. After a few minutes, they appeared to be lightly chatting, which relieved the figurehead.

 _Thank goodness he's away from her, but it seems that my suspicion was correct for once. This is the work of the strange voice from the kitchen. I can never catch a break, can I? Of course, it's this time I'm_ _right..._

The figurehead's spiraling thoughts were interrupted once again by the nasal tones of their still unidentified captor.

 **"Oh, look what we have here! It's the psycho- oops! I meeeeeant it's Saiko the Useless! Kyahahahaha! No one wants to hear your voice anyways. Why don't you just play with your dolls and cry yourself to sleep?"**

Kazuki struggled to breathe through the tension, the oxygen getting caught in his throat. Once his heartbeat returned to a relatively normal pace he gathered the courage to speak up.

"H-hey you! How about you stop insulting us and tell us what the fuck is going on here?"

Takehiko piped up as well. "Yeah man. This really isn't cool. You need to chill down dude."

"I find it quite amusing myself." Sorano smiled, "Please do continue if you wish. You have piqued my curiosity."

"What the fuck!? Are you fucking nuts? You got a screw loose or somethin'? Don't tell me you want to be caught in the fucking crosshairs of this bullshit!" Meiko's burst of anger fizzled out as she let out a sigh. "Sheesh. Get your damned wires checked out. Your response? Seriously not fucking normal."

Sorano's smile grew a touch more. "A screw loose? Perhaps, perhaps..."

A dissatisfied hum escaped the wedding planner, her eyes narrowed.. "Meiko! Language! And you, miss vague-because-eet's-fun, stop stirring up trouble. Monsieur kidnapper, continue s'il te plait."

 **"You know what? I was juuust about to..."**

"Then how about you stop wasting my precious time and get on with it already?" Asahi added, looking thoroughly bored with the conversation.

 **"Your time is... _precious_? Kyahahaha that's the best joke I've heard all week! But alright, alright, I'll get on with it. Drum roll please~"**

All was silent for a moment as the students merely looked at each other in confusion.

 _I-is this guy for real? Making us praise his presence when_ he _was the one who kidnapped us and brought us here against our will? That's absurd..._

 **"Huh. Tough crowd. Seeeriously, you lot are some of the worst I've seen! Still not as bad as the year that brainless bread-head tried to beat me up and almost got himself killed. And then _actually_ got himself killed! Kyahahahahaha!"** He paused for a moment, continuing with a hint of fondness. **"Eh, he was pretty tasty~"**

Atsuko's timid voice spoke up. "Killed? _Tasty?_ What do you plan to do with us? A-are you a cannibal?"

 **"Oh my, it looks like I got off-topic again. All in due time, my petrified pal, all in due time. Don't worry- if I waaas a cannibal you would all be very, very safe. Not the mention the fact that no one would want to chew on _your_ stringy frames!"**

The illustrator looked down at himself, confused. "I-I'm... stringy? I know I'm not the most active person out there, but stringy is a bit far..."

 **"AND NOOOOW!"** The stranger called, not dissimilar to a circus' ringleader. **"The moment you aaaall have been waiting for... THE BIG REVEAAAAAL!"**

The clearing resounded with the screech of grinding gears, leading most of the students to follow Kazuki's lead and cover their ears. Before their eyes, the ferris wheel morphed into a stage and matching podium, complete with a banner reading "KK's Amusement Park". As the students took this new sight in, a small figure leaped out from behind the podium, landing nimbly on the floor in front of the fixture. Their captor appeared to be... a bear?

The toy-like creature who seemed to be the reason for their dilemma gave a little salute. **"Nice to meet you in person, you little shits! The name's Kurokuma, and this is your living hell!"**

* * *

 **Kurokuma**

 **Captor**

* * *

 _I had no idea what this thing was. It seemed to be 25 inches in height and had the appearance of an all-black teddy bear. One of its eyes was styled like a typical stuffed toy, while the other was shaped like a lightning bolt and glowed an eerie blue. On the side with its normal eye, the bear had three white x's seemingly painted onto its frame._

 _There was nothing I knew about this creature. Prior to this day I never imagined this sort of technology was even possible. I-I don't know what to do... I have nothing to prepare me for this._

Kazuki stumbled backward, thoroughly taken aback. _Am I honestly supposed to believe that a_ toy _is responsible for all of this?_

Murmurs of discontent spread among the students, varying from confusion, to anger, to hopelessness. Completely oblivious, an excited Emi began clapping with zeal.

"Ooh! What a cute bear~ *.* Emi wants to huuuug him!" she smiled, a dreamy look coming over her face.

Kurokuma, who had been standing proudly, took a quick step back and put his hands out in front of him in defense. **"Hands off the merchandise lady! Do you have any idea how long it takes me to keep this fur so shiny?"**

Akashi readjusted his bandana, completely unperturbed. He looked over at the figurehead with a look of mild curiosity. "Hey, this is pretty cool! Do ya think he's our mascot or something?"

 _M-mascot? We have been fucking kidnapped and you're worried about a **mascot**?_

Not wanting to ruin the chance of a potential alliance, or friendship, with Akashi, Kazuki replied, "I-I honestly can't say. What do you think h-he wants?"

As the parkour artist opened his mouth to answer he was interrupted by a hyped-up hacker. "Hooooly shit! That tech is really fucking advanced! Like, military-grade stuff looks like child play in comparison..."

Kazuki looked at her, shocked. A bitter sense of defeat began to wash over him. "If the tech is so advanced, does that mean you can't do anything to help take this... Kurokuma down?"

She huffed, offended. "I never said _that_. I could still take it apart, easy. It'll just take a bit longer to fuck with."

Hibiki, who had been staring solemnly at the ground, looked up, her eyes radiant with hope. "I sincerely hope you are serious about that statement, Ueda-san. This abomination of a captor had no right to steal our freedom and lives away!"

The hacker only gave a lopsided grin and a thumbs-up in return.

Just as things were starting to look a bit more hopeful, the voice interrupted again.

 **"Shut up you little brats! *ahem* I am trying to speak!"**

A hush fell over the group as all attention was focused on the animatronic.

 **"Thank you. Now as you know, everyone here agreed to attend the graaaand opening of KK's Amusement Park. And just in case any of you are brain-dead, I'm looking at you Hiroshi-"**

An angered shout arose from the group. "Low blow, you asshole!"

The bear's claws extended as he made a lunge towards the amnesiac. **"No interrupting the headma- the manager! Otherwise, I'll rip your fucking head off!"**

Hiroshi let out a disgruntled scoff and crossed his arms, clearly done speaking.

Kurokuma backed off with the gesture, appearing satisfied with Hiroshi's response. **"Thaaaank you. Now as I was _saying_ , I am KK, and this is myyyyyyyyy amusement park! Since this is, of course, my park, all of the guests have to abide by my rules! Think of it as... park policy."**

At that point Kurokuma had donned a pair of glasses and a clipboard, giving off the air of an obnoxious higher-up.

 **"See, at KK's Amusement Park there are only a couple rules that you need to follow! The first of which is that... _no one can leave_."**

Gasps of horror erupted from the ultimates, intermingled with a few "What the fuck"s. Glancing around, Kazuki noticed Akio and Sorano taking notes, the former with a vicious fervor.

The captor took a step back, admiring the pandemonium he created. **"Beautiful, beautiful chaos. How I have missed you~ That's right! Nobody's leaving! I can bear-ly contain my glee!"**

Fed up with the entire situation Kazuki stepped forward. "Hey, build-a-bear reject! Stop screwing around! There's no way you can do that. You can't just... keep us caged up like some fascinating curiosities at a zoo!"

A gleam of amusement lit up in Kurokuma's eyes. He held up his one paw, the students watching on in horror as the claws tripled in size. **"Ooh, I like you! It's been a while since I've had a protagonist show such... spunk. We're going to have such fun together~"**

The figurehead shrunk back from the jagged pieces of steel, terrified. _Who the fuck does he think he is, Wolverine or some shit? It-it's absolutely fucking frightening._

Kurokuma let out a sad sigh. **"Ah well, nevermind then. Looks like all protagonists are doomed to be spineless crybabies with too much damned empathy. Sooo booooooringggggg."**

 _Why does he keep calling me a... protagonist? I'm a nobody. No... I'm worse than nobody, a plague on this world..._

Saiko's voice cut through the stunned silence. "N-no... it can't be true... y-you can't just keep us here..."

Her statement was met with sounds of agreement and the tension began to deflate.

"Then why are we blocked in like mice? Why go through the trouble of creating such an elaborate set-up for a joke? The kitchen was well-stocked, and there is more than enough to live on. He... must be telling the truth..." Luke's words, although not what the group wanted to hear, rang true.

 _We're going to die here. He wouldn't be so confident unless he knew there was no chance of his scheme getting found out... No one... no one is coming..._

The same thought occurred to the rest of the students as the hysteria started up again.

 **"*AHEM* You didn't let me finish! Ugh, you humans are so un-bear-able!"**

Luke laughed weakly from his place on the bench, head buried in his hands.

Kurokuma pointed at the mental patient exuberantly. **"I like you kid. Let's hope you... stick around a while..."**

Jun and Kazuki looked at each other, confused. Eventually, Takehiko said the words that were on everybody's mind.

"I thought you said we couldn't leave. Get your story straight, man."

 **"Oh, naive one, I haven't even gotten to the best part!"** Kurokuma's metallic face held a look of pure elation. **"I haven't told you about the graduation rule! Kyahahahahahahaha! You see, one lucky person here can escape! All you have to do... is _kill someone_!"**

"Kill? Emi doesn't want to kill! Killing is wrong!" the poor reality show star was nearing tears, hugging herself and leaning against Hibiki. The equestrian didn't seem too bothered by it, in fact, she even began rubbing the other girl's shoulder in an attempt to calm her down.

Noriko piped up, furious. "Th-that is i-incredibly illegal in s-so many ways! You c-can't do th-this!"

 **"Kyahahahahahahaa! Do I LOOK like I care, sweetheart?"**

She shot back, "R-regardless of whether or n-not you c-care, the l-law will pr-pr-prevail!"

Hibiki joined in the argument. "Even if the law falters, in this case, I would still encourage that you cease this behavior. Otherwise, my father might have to get involved. Save yourself the pain and release us immediately."

 **"Upupupupu... when did you become daddy's little angel? What could he possibly do to me? I'm not a human, you bozo!"** he took his attention off of the girl, who had paled considerably.

 **"Anywhooooo..."** Kurokuma pulled out a stack of tablets from behind the podium, holding them like frisbees. **"Here you go!"**

With that exclamation, he chucked them one by one to the students, who caught them in turn with various levels of success.

"Ow!" Atsuko yelped, the tablet slamming into the side of his head. He reached up just in time to catch a second one that had gone high before handing it cautiously to Luke.

On the other side of the clearing, Meiko was fuming. "I could have caught that motherfucker myself, Priscilla!" the wedding planner had easily snatched both of theirs out of the air without batting an eye.

"Meiko, zhat vould have hit you directly in zhe eye. And language s'il te plait."

The overachiever he was, Jun leaped up, catching his, Kazuki's, Noriko's, Hiroshi's, and Sorano's pieces without hesitation before distributing them with a gleeful crow.

"And Akashi has done it again! Will he ever cease to amaze? The world may never know!"

A grunt of pain erupted from Akio, who had been hit simultaneously with three tablets. He passed the other two to Emi and Asahi, not saying a word.

With barely a hint of prior motion, Yannick used the hook of his cane to catch the tablet out of the air, the movement knocking Takehiko's tablet right into his arms.

"Hey, thanks man!" the astronomer grinned, holding up the electronic in cheers.

"It was nothing. The bear did send them both my way, after all." Once the words were uttered, Yannick turned away, clearly finished conversing.

The final two went soaring across the open area, knocking straight into Saiko.

Having spent the past thirty minutes on the verge of a nervous breakdown, thoroughly draining her energy, the puppeteer barely managed a "...I deserve your respect..." before shoving the other tablet into Hibiki's arms.

 **"Upupupu... that was incredibly entertaining if I do say so myself. Ah, lovely pain. Will I ever have my fill of you? Wait... NOPE! KYAHAHAHAHA!"**

The psychologist interrupted the mirthful tirade with the wave of her hand. "As much as it would amuse me to see this chaos continue, this question must be asked. What the hell are these implements? And how are they useful to us?"

Kurokuma slapped himself in the head with his paw. **"I'm such a dummy... These are your E-Handbooks. Your huts lock themselves after dark, so you use these suckers to get into your rooms, the gender-specific bathrooms, and the some of the rides. So if you want to ride the roller coasters to your heart's content, don't lose these bad boys! I'd just haaaate to be the bear-er of bad news!"**

Akio, who overcame his prior injury, began to examine the sections listed in the handbook. One, in particular, seemed to catch his attention. "Interesting... an evidence tab? Wait! What's this entry listed on it?"

With an audible _boing_ , Kurokuma leaped back behind the podium, rummaged around for a bit, and pulled out a tablet of his own. **"Oops! Stop snooping shortie!"** he snarled, before tapping on his screen.

"W-what the fuck? He just restricted the tab! You gave this shit to us man-uh-bear! Don't blame us for trying to figure our situation out." Akio's face was twisted in confusion and rage as he matched Kurokuma's snarl.

The bear casually tossed his own tablet back onto the podium. **"Exactly, yellow pages. _I_ brought you here, so naturally, _I_ can decide what you can and cannot see. All in due time, if you make it that long..."**

Before Akio could burst, Emi grabbed his hand. "Don't worry Sato-kuuuun {*\/*}! Emi will take care of you! Kuma-chan might talk all scary, but he's too kawaii to be bad~"

Thanks to the star's intervention, tension seemed to lessen in the group. Calm enough to avoid another outburst, everyone logged onto their respective E-Handbook and followed Akio's lead.

 _So there's a tab with all of my personal information on it, huh? H-hey! Who the hell got my bust size? Who the hell would want to KNOW my bust size? A-anyways... there also seems to be a tab for Evidence- blocked, thanks to Akio's outburst. That could have had a lot of useful information on it that now we'll probably never see... A Case File tab? That bear must be certain that we're going to kill. It does seem like he's done this before... What's this? Park Rules?_

Curious, Kazuki tapped on the tab, filling with dread at the long list that sat before him.

* * *

 **Park Rules**

1) Students may reside only within the park and its adjacent housing area. Leaving the park will violate the contract formed in regards to the park's grand opening.

2) "Nighttime" is from 10 pm to 6:30 am. Some rides will be offline at night as well, so please exercise caution. In addition, some areas of the park are off-limits as well- any persons violating those limits are subject to punishment as regulated by the park's jurisdiction.

3) Sleeping anywhere other than your designated hut will result in punishment, although this is only restricted to nighttime hours. You may, however, receive permission from Kurokuma to sleep in another person's hut, but refraining from getting said clearance will result in punishment for all parties involved.

4) Park visitors are required to use their "passes", or E-Handbooks, to access any rides and restrooms. Attempting to use these facilities without your pass or attempting to enter the restroom of the opposite gender will result in punishment.

5) For the most part, the park goers are free to explore KK's Amusement Park at their convenience.

6) Any violence or attempted violence against the manager Kurokuma is strictly prohibited, as is any attempt to sabotage park property. Any persons who do so are subject to punishment.

7) Any guest who kills a fellow visitor becomes "blackened". They will be free to leave the park unless they are discovered.

8) These park regulations are subject to change and may be added to if necessary.

* * *

 _H-holy crap. This is... really in-depth. How did we ever think we could escape from here? And that last rule... it's completely limitless. We have absolutely no power here..._

Kazuki's dark thoughts were interrupted by Hiroshi's confusion-tinged voice. "Yo, Kurokuma. There seems to be information missing from my profile. What is it? And why can't I remember what it is?"

"Missing, did you say?" Luke muttered, his voice dark.

The amnesiac nodded. "Yeah! There's a space under my Ultimate talent that isn't labeled, and when I tap on it there's nothing there. It's in too awkward of a place to be an accident. This entire operation was carefully planned out..."

Something unreadable flashed in Luke's eyes. "Oh, right. That."

Akashi took that moment to clutch his chest dramatically, falling on his knees before the crowd. He fixed his gaze on the sky, letting a single tear glisten in his eye. "Oh no! How on Earth will we ever survive... without a full list of personal facts! Oh, the humanity! The humanity!"

Clearly upset, Noriko pushed her glasses further up her nose. "A-Akashi-san. It is qu-quite simple t-t-to do. I th-thought you had m-more common s-sense than this."

Her comment was met with mild confusion. Akashi was joking, right? But that confusion did not last long.

 **"On that blissfully awkward note... ciao!"** Kurokuma gave a little salute before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

Meiko fumed. "Where in the flippity flappity fuck did he go? That fucking bear dropped a bombshell on us and expects us to what? Go about our merry fucking way? Like hell we are!"

She stood on top of one of the benches, cupping her hands around her mouth. "You hear me bear? We want some fucking answers! You'd better come out before I wipe your fucking hard drive!"

Kazuki stepped in, fearing for his safety. "Ueda-san, as much as we all would love for you to do that, take a look at the school rules. Violence or attempted violence against the manager will result in punishment. Based on what we've been told to do, punishment, in this case, most likely means death. So please, save your own life and take your anger out on a Tamagotchi or something."

There was silence for a moment as Meiko looked the figurehead over. She was still snarling from her tirade, a mere glimpse of it enough to make Kazuki regret his earlier actions.

As soon as the fear clutched the figurehead's heart it was over. Meiko burst out into laughter, jumping down from the bench and slapping Kazuki on the back.

"Hey, I like you. You got... what the fuck is the word... gumption!"

 _Wait... so she's not going to kill me? Oh thank God, she's not going to kill me!_

The girl continued, her tone a bit more downtrodden. "And as much as I hate admitting that I fucked up, you're right. Ripping the bear to pieces will do jack shit in the long run. Let's be honest- you lot wouldn't survive a day without my help! Because I'm just that fucking amazing!"

Priscilla let out a little chuckle. "You cause more chaos than order, Meiko. Eef I am perfectly 'onest, zhis park would be safer without you."

Crossing her arms, the hacker retorted. "Hey! I'm not all crazy shit! I mean, I cooould have reconfigured the ferris wheel to go fourteen times the speed and throw off anyone who tried to ride it, but I didn't, did I? Although I did reprogram my Tamagotchi to shoot fireballs out of its mouth that one time... That was fucking awesome!"

 _Dear God, not even the Tamagotchis are safe..._ Kazuki sighed, already worrying about keeping order maintained during their, clearly long, stay at the park.

The illustrator stood up, immediately gaining everyone's attention. "The real thing we should worry about at the moment is looking to see if there are any cracks in the bear's defenses. If there is any hope of us getting out of here without resorting to Kurokuma's strange rules, we have to take it."

Kazuki nodded, pleased to see that someone else seemed to be thinking somewhat rationally. "M-maybe we should investigate more? See if there's a way out or something?"

A sigh erupted out of the kickboxer. "As I mentioned before, I highly doubt that whoever brought us here left us anything even remotely resembling an easy method of escape." His expression changed a bit, turning contemplative. "However, as the larger one said, there might be a way that is not so obvious. We cannot despair just yet- the game has just begun!"

Hearing the savateur's words, Emi perked up significantly. "Ooh, a game? Emi wants to play! (+.+)"

The prosecutor readjusted her sachel slightly, standing with her chest out. "I-in that case, we need to s-split up. G-groups of t-two should w-work, and w-we'll switch off e-every s-s-so often."

She raised her arm straight into the air. "I-I am more than w-willing to st-st-stay here as a h-home base if n-needed. H-however, if the n-need for my s-services is r-required, I will n-not abandon my d-d-duty. O-Operation Escape is a g-g-go!"

With that, the students split apart their own ways in an attempt to free themselves from the hellhole of an amusement park.

* * *

 **END OF CHAPTER 1-1: RHAPSODY IN DOOM**

 _Hey y'all! Sorry again for a later update- the school's musical sucked up much more time than I anticipated, but that's still no excuse. I will be making an effort to update on the first of every month from now on, so the next update will hopefully be up on May 1st!_

 _I'm curious as to what y'all think so far! Once it gets into the murder I'm sure it will flow much easier- I'm better when it comes to tension-filled scenes, so sorry if this chapter wasn't the best. I hope you had fun reading!_

 _Comment Response Thingymajig:_

 _Trust Me I'm Me: Dude, thanks again for the amazing review! Just a quick clarification- the scream was Saiko seeing the dead pig, not the pig itself. Sorry if that wasn't clear! And rip about the banana haha. For some reason I could not type "d" for the life of me the night I finished up that chapter._

 _TheRoseShadow21: Hey there! Thanks again for reviewing! I'm really glad Hibiki has made her way onto your favorites list- she's certainly an interesting character!_

 _So that's it for now! I'll see you guys in a month or so, and happy killing!_


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